I am not alone, I am sure, in thinking that Prince Harry did something of real value in talking about his own mental health issues over the weekend. I admire his courage and example. But, in his role as a royal he can't be political and there are the politics of tax in mental health.
Most obviously there will be debate on resourcing that the royals cannot go near, but which others need to address. Provision is dire for too many.
That, though, is not my primary concern this morning. In my book The Courageous State I discussed issues around mental health and well-being and the relationship of both with the economy. And I pointed out that there is one industry that is dedicated to destroying well-being by creating universal dissatisfaction. That is the advertising sector.
I am not, of course, talking here about the small ad, informational or job advertisements. The advertising sector is that industry dedicating to creating wants where there is no need by spreading dissatisfaction with whatever it is that we might already have. Implicit in it is a lie: what can be guaranteed is that what is being promoted now will in the near future be dismissed as that which must be replaced. The offer of satisfaction it suggests available is, then, always known to be untrue. That this offer is delivered by seeking to manipulate our insecurities only adds to its perniciousness.
The motive that drives the activity of this sector has also to be considered when condemning what it does. The primary goal of advertising might be the promotion of sales to alleviate a deliberately created unhappiness with a person's perceived well-being, but the secondary goal has to also be taken into account. That secondary goal is to keep people in a perpetual state of indebtedness. Whilst people are indebted they are constrained. And that is the desired outcome.
It's hard then to think of anything more likely to induce stress, anxiety, low self esteem, and an inability to cope (at least financially) than advertising and the related consumer credit sector. I think its role in mental health deeply pernicious, displaying every day a false impression to people made vulnerable to it by a continual bombardment of messages designed to undermine their self-worth.
What to do about it? I recall suggesting at least three things in The Courageous State. One was banning all advertising aimed at children. Children have a right to grow up without being bombarded by materialism.
Second, I suggested that no VAT shoukd be recoverable by businesses on its advertising spend. This is already true on entertaining spending. I would extend the scope to increase the cost of advertising.
Third, there should be no corporation tax relief on advertising spending. The state shoukd not be subsidising an abusive process by giving tax relief on it.
These are small steps but they matter. They say advertising can be harmful, and that is important. They also say the state will not subsidise an activity that fuels anxiety and so ill health. Compare the approach to that towards smoking and alcohol when it comes to physical health, I suggest. And, of course, funds are released as a result.
Tax and mental health are not commonly discussed in this way. I hope they might be. Of course I am not saying advertising causes all mental ill health. That would be absurd. But by continually undermining our sense of well-being advertising causes harm. And I think it time to explicitly address that fact. Tax reform lets us do that and delivers a powerful signal no advertiser could miss. That's why it's so important to do this.
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Everytime a car manufacturer sells one of its cars on TV portraying the ‘open road’ they should be had under the Trade’s Description Act (if it still exists).
BTW – May has just called a general election on June 8th. Sneaky beyond words.
It’s unlikely, unfortunately, that the proposals you make will be effected soon. But they make a lot of sense.
In the meantime however, we should insist that critical thinking is taught in schools, whether embedded in the standard curriculum, or as a subject in its own right.
I think many people would say they are not influenced by advertising, or right wing propaganda for that matter. But it’s clear that many of us absorb subliminal messages from all kinds of sources, that are trying to influence us. Advertising may create unfulfillable expectations; political propaganda can lead to disaster.
Critical thinking is a vital tool in protecting us from this kind of harm, especially now that news management distorts the truth via bots on the internet that spam lies by the millions, in nanoseconds.
In Singapore (of all places) they are considering extending critical thinking training to kindergarten, while here in the UK “Critical Thinking” will drop off the A Level curriculum from 2017.
Critical thinking? You think the government wants that?
Of course not. The government wants gullible sheep.
well I’ve just spent the last few years falling into the deepest pit of depression so far in my life and then clawing my way back out again,
interestingly one of my self imposed regimes to try and alleviate the misery has been to totally rid my life of advertising,
no broadcast TV and blocking every possible form of advertising online,
lately I’ve been scouring the web for video’s and documentaries about todays North Korea,
I’m not endorsing the regime but one thing that stands out is that around Pyongyang and it’s very clean, tidy and slick looking city centre is a total absence of bill boards and hoardings… bliss!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZTymUzcpIg
also a few years back Tehran had a month where every billboard and hoarding was used to display reproductions of great works of art, it looked very civilised, which the Persians actually are,
https://theotheriran.com/2015/06/07/photos-compilation-a-gallery-as-big-as-tehran/tehran-iran-billboards-swap-tehran-is-an-art-gallery-2015-102/
is it a coincidence that both of these countries are on the top of Americas list to be ‘crushed mercilessly’?
It’s very interesting that one of the ways you’ve helped alleviate your depression is to avoid advertising as much as possible. It rather suggests Richard has a good point. Being constantly urged to measure our own self-worth by our material possessions isn’t really conducive to a peaceful state of mind.
Your last paragraph has a point as well. Awful though both these regimes are in some ways, the US is no paradise either, as any examination of its prison system would reveal. And with the hideous egomaniac Trump in charge, things aren’t going to get any better there, to say the least.